Synthesis of organic–inorganic chiral block poly(methylphenylsilane) functional polymers,and study of their optical and chiroptical properties

Polysilanes upon UV irradiation give rise to silyl macroradicals which are capable to initiate radical polymerization. Hence, chiral block functional polysilanes were synthesized by UV irradiation of poly(methylphenylsilane) (PMPS) with a vinyl chiral monomer, (R)‐N‐(1‐phenylethyl)methacrylamide (R‐NPEMAM). The synthesized copolymer samples were characterized by FTIR, NMR, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The number and weight average molecular weights of PMPS and synthesized chiral‐block‐PMPS were measured by GPC analysis. Two glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the synthesized materials clearly indicate the formation of chiral‐block‐PMPS copolymers. SEM analysis also indicated the synthesized organic–inorganic block copolymers. The optical and chiroptical properties of the synthesized materials were studied. The cotton effect is observed not only at 276 nm due to aromatic ring of the chiral monomer units but also at 325 nm which is associated with the Si–Si conjugation of PMPS block of synthesized functional polysilanes. Such tunable chirality may find potential application in optoelectronics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3626–3634     

Highly Strained Oxygen-Doped Chiral Molecular Belts of the Zigzag-Type with Strong Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Herein we report a two-directional cyclization strategy for the synthesis of highly strained depth-expanded oxygen-doped chiral molecular belts of the zigzag-type. From the easily accessible resorcin[4]arenes, an unprecedented cyclization cascade generating fused 2,3-dihydro-1H-phenalenes has been developed to access expanded molecular belts. Stitching up the fjords through intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution and ring-closing olefin metathesis reactions furnished a highly strained O-doped C₂-symmetric belt. The enantiomers of the acquired compounds exhibited excellent chiroptical properties. The calculated parallelly aligned electric ( μ ) and magnetic ( m ) transition dipole moments are translated to the high dissymmetry factor (|g_lum| up to 0.022). This study provides not only an appealing and useful strategy for the synthesis of strained molecular belts but also a new paradigm for the fabrication of belt-derived chiroptical materials with high CPL activities.     

Enhanced Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Reorganized Chiral Emitters on the Skeleton of a Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework

A chiral zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) showing circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has been successfully constructed by blending binapthyl‐derived chiral emitters with ZIF‐8 rhombic dodecahedron nanoparticles. This approach solves a major trade‐off in CPL‐active materials: the large luminescence dissymmetry factor (g_lum) always suffers from suppression of luminescence efficiency. Compared to the optical properties of chiral emitters, the obtained chiral ZIF nanomaterials showed an enhanced fluorescence efficiency while the |g_lum| value is significantly amplified by one order of magnitude. Additionally, enantioselective fluorescence sensing in response to α‐hydroxycarboxylic acids has been enhanced in chiral ZIFs. Reorganization and conjunction of chiral emitters to the skeleton of ZIF nanoparticles can greatly improve both the luminescence quantum yield and circularly polarization, which facilitates the design of more efficient chiroptical materials.     

基于电致酸/碱理论的手性光学切换体系

手性分子光学开关在光学储存、 光学通信以及三维立体显示等领域有着重要的应用价值. 但是目前的手性分子光学开关存在材料种类少、 光学可调性差、 稳定性差等缺点, 如何构筑出具有高光学可调性以及稳定性的手性光学切换体系依旧是一项严峻的挑战. 本工作基于电致酸/碱理论, 通过将手性联萘官能团引入到酸响应的罗丹明主体结构中, 设计并合成了一种新型的酸响应手性光学开关分子, 并将其与电致酸材料相结合, 成功实现了电场驱动的手性光学开关过程, 开发了一种新型的手性光学切换体系. 发现在合适的电场控制下, 其颜色、 荧光以及圆二色谱信号均能发生可逆的变化. 这种方法为构筑新型手性光学开关体系提供了一种新思路, 对手性光学开关材料的应用拓展具有重要的参考价值.     

Achieving Strong Circularly Polarized Luminescence through Cascade Cationic Insertion in Lead-free Hybrid Metal Halides

Generating circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with simultaneous high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and dissymmetry factor (g_lum) is difficult due to usually unmatched electric transition dipole moment (μ) and magnetic transition dipole moment (m) of materials. Herein we tackle this issue by playing a “cascade cationic insertion” trick to achieve strong CPL (with PLQY of ~100 %) in lead-free metal halides with high g_lum values reaching −2.3×10⁻² without using any chiral inducers. Achiral solvents of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) infiltrate the crystal lattice via asymmetric hydrogen bonding, distorting the perovskite structure to induce the “intrinsic” chirality. Surprisingly, additional insertion of Cs⁺ cation to substitute partial (CH₃)₂NH₂⁺ transforms the chiral space group to achiral but the crystal maintains chiroptical activity. Further doping of Sb³⁺ stimulates strong photoluminescence as a result of self-trapped excitons (STEs) formation without disturbing the crystal framework. The chiral perovskites of indium-antimony chlorides embedded on LEDs chips demonstrate promising potential as CPL emitters. Our work presents rare cases of chiroptical activity of highly luminescent perovskites from only achiral building blocks via spontaneous resolution as a result of symmetry breaking.     

Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Achiral Metal–Organic Colloids and Guest Molecules in a Vortex Field

Recently, scientists have reported a range of chiral fluorescence materials or chiral composites that can emit circularly polarized luminescence. Herein, two achiral metal–organic colloidal solutions were studied, showing active circularly polarized luminescence, which is observed in vortex stirring. The absolute values for g_lum are 0.05 and 0.03 and the plus or minus sign of g_lum depends on the colloidal structure and stirring direction, which make the property easy to manipulate. Further, the host–guest interaction study suggests both electrostatic interactions and coordination bonding may influence the chiroptical property from the colloidal solution to the guest molecule. Rhodamine 6G and its carboxylic acid derivative exhibit good quantum yields and acceptable g_lum values in the colloidal solution.     

Co-Assembly of Chiral Amines and a Four-Armed Cyano-Substituted Luminophore through Hydrogen Bonds for Potential Development of Smart Chiroptical Materials

Chirality transfer from chiral molecules to assemblies is of vital importance to the design of functional chiral materials. In this work, selective co-assembly behaviors between chiral molecules and an achiral luminophore, potentially driven by the intermolecular salt-bridge type hydrogen bonds are reported. Cyano-substituted tetrakis(arylthio)benzene carboxylic acid ( TA ) served as the luminophore and hydrogen bond donors, which underwent co-assembly with different chiral amines. It was found that structures of chiral amines affect the chirality transfer and the properties of co-assemblies due to effects on hydrogen bonds and stacking pattern. Only in specific co-assemblies, the chiroptical properties occurred at both ground state and excited states based on the emerged Cotton effects and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) signals, revealing that the chirality was successfully transferred from molecular level to supramolecular level. In addition, accurate quantitative examination of chiral amines was realized by circular dichroism (CD) spectra. This work demonstrates the characteristic chirality response and transfer through co-assembly, providing a potential method to develop smart chiroptical materials.     

Multiple Hydrogen Bonds Promoted ESIPT and AIE‐active Chiral Salicylaldehyde Hydrazide

The simpler, the better! A series of simple and highly fluorescent salicylaldehyde hydrazide molecules (41 samples) have been designed and prepared. Even though these soft materials contain a very small π‐conjugated system, they can go through multiple intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds promoted excited‐state intramolecular proton‐transfer (ESIPT) to display strong blue, green, yellow, and orange aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) with large Stokes shifts (up to 184 nm) and high fluorescence quantum yields (Ф up to 0.20). Unusual mechanochromic fluorescence enhancements are also found in some solid samples. Through coordination, hydrogen and halogen bonds, these flexible molecules can be used as Mg²⁺ (Ф up to 0.46) probes, universal anion (Ф up to 0.14) and unprotected amino acids (Ф up to 0.16) probes, and chiral diamine (enantiomeric selectivity and Ф up to 0.36 and 0.062, respectively) receptors. Combining their advantages of AIE and biocompatibility, these low cytotoxic dyes have potential application in living cell imaging. Furthermore, the effects of different functional groups on the molecule arrangement, ESIPT, AIE, probe, and chiral recognition properties are also examined, which provide a simple and bright paradigm for the design of multiple‐stimuli‐responsive smart materials.     

A Covalent Organic Helical Cage with Remarkable Chiroptical Amplification

Purely organic shape‐persistent chiral cages are designed through the use of rigid chiral axes. Covalent dimerization of a tripodal fragment bearing chiral allenes forms a molecular twisted prism with loop‐like lateral edges presenting 10‐fold chiroptical amplification compared to its isolated building blocks. The expected geometry of covalent organic helical cage (M,M)₃‐ 1 was confirmed by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. Comparison of the chiroptical responses of this shape‐persistent molecular container with more flexible analogues highlights how the control of the conformational freedom of the molecule can be used to obtain molecular cages with strong chiroptical responses. Selective inclusion‐complex formation with ferrocenium ions [(P,P)₃‐ 1 @Fc⁺] was confirmed and quantified with HR‐ESI‐MS and NMR spectroscopy.     

Chiral Hybrid Germanium(II) Halide with Strong Nonlinear Chiroptical Properties

Due to the pronounced anisotropic response to circularly polarized light, chiral hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides have been regarded as promising candidates for the application in nonlinear chiroptics, especially for the second-harmonic generation circular dichroism (SHG-CD) effect. However, designing novel lead-free chiral hybrid metal halides with large anisotropy factors and high laser-induced damage thresholds (LDT) of SHG-CD remains challenging. Herein, we develop the first chiral hybrid germanium halide, (R/S-NEA)₃Ge₂I₇⋅H₂O (R/S-NGI), and systematically investigated its linear and nonlinear chiroptical properties. S-NGI and R-NGI exhibit large anisotropy factors (g_SHG-CD) of 0.45 and 0.48, respectively, along with a high LDT of 38.46 GW/cm²; these anisotropy factors were the highest values among the reported lead-free chiral hybrid metal halides. Moreover, the effective second-order nonlinear optical coefficient of S-NGI could reach up to 0.86 pm/V, which was 2.9 times higher than that of commercial Y-cut quartz. Our findings facilitate a new avenue toward lead-free chiral hybrid metal halides, and their implementation in nonlinear chiroptical applications.     

Integrating Achiral and Chiral Organic Ligands in Zero-Dimensional Hybrid Metal Halides to Boost Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Chiral zero-dimensional hybrid metal halides (0D HMHs) could combine excellent optical properties and chirality, making them promising for circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). However, chiral 0D HMHs with efficient CPL have been rarely reported. Here, we propose an efficient strategy to achieve simultaneously high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and large dissymmetry factor (g_lum), by integrating achiral and chiral ligands into 0D HMHs. Specifically, three pairs of chiral 0D hybrid indium-antimony chlorides are synthesized by combing achiral guanidine with three types of chiral methylbenzylammonium-based derivatives as the organic cations. These chiral 0D HMHs exhibit near-unity PLQY and large g_lum values up to around ±1×10⁻². The achiral guanidine ligand is not only essential to crystallize these hybrid indium-antimony chlorides to achieve near-unity PLQYs, but also greatly enhances the chirality induction from organic ligands to inorganic units in these 0D HMHs. Furthermore, the choice of different chiral ligands can modify the strength of hydrogen bonding interactions in these 0D HMHs, to maximize their g_lum values. Overall, this study provides a robust way to realize efficient CPL in chiral HMHs, expanding their applications in chiroptical fields.     

Ligand-Induced Chirality in ClMBA2SnI4 2D Perovskite**

Chiral perovskites possess a huge applicative potential in several areas of optoelectronics and spintronics. The development of novel lead-free perovskites with tunable properties is a key topic of current research. Herein, we report a novel lead-free chiral perovskite, namely (R/S−)ClMBA₂SnI₄ (ClMBA=1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethanamine) and the corresponding racemic system. ClMBA₂SnI₄ samples exhibit a low band gap (2.12 eV) together with broad emission extending in the red region of the spectrum (∼1.7 eV). Chirality transfer from the organic ligand induces chiroptical activity in the 465–530 nm range. Density functional theory calculations show a Rashba type band splitting for the chiral samples and no band splitting for the racemic isomer. Self-trapped exciton formation is at the origin of the large Stokes shift in the emission. Careful correlation with analogous lead and lead-free 2D chiral perovskites confirms the role of the symmetry-breaking distortions in the inorganic layers associated with the ligands as the source of the observed chiroptical properties providing also preliminary structure-property correlation in 2D chiral perovskites.     

Mesomorphism,polymerization, and chirality induction in α‐cyanostilbene‐functionalized diacetylene‐assembled films: Photo‐triggered Z/E isomerization

Engineering of molecular stacking arrangement via environmental stimuli is of particular interest in stimuli‐responsive self‐assembling architectures. A novel dual photo‐functionalized diacetylene ((Z)‐CNBE‐DA) molecule was synthesized, in which photo‐responsive cyanostilbene moieties exhibited interesting Z‐E isomerization upon UV light irradiation and could be utilized to modulate mesomorphism, molecular stacking arrangement and resulting polymerization behavior. Rod‐like (Z)‐CNBE‐DA could self‐assemble into well‐defined lamellar structures and the helical polydiacetylene (PDA) chains could be formed upon irradiation with circularly polarized ultraviolet light (CPUL). However, the bent‐shaped (E)‐CNBE‐DA molecules only self‐assembled into irregular loose packing, inhibiting the formation of ordered helical PDA chains upon CPUL irradiation. In this work, we established the links between chemical structures, molecular packing engineering and photophysical properties, which would be of great fundamental value for the rational design of smart soft materials. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2458–2466     

Enhancing Circularly Polarized Phosphorescence via Integrated Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach

In the dynamic domain of chiroptical technologies, it is imperative to engineer emitters endowed with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties. This research demonstrates an advancement by employing a combined top-down and bottom-up strategy for the simultaneous amplification of photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ) and the luminescence dissymmetry factor (g_lum). Square-planar Pt(II) complexes form helical assemblies, driven by torsional strain induced by bis(nonyl) chains. Integration of chiral anions leads these assemblies to prefer distinct helical sense. This arrangement activates the metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MMLCT) transition that is CPL-active, with Φ and |g_lum| observing an upswing contingent on the charge number and aryl substituents in chiral anions. Utilizing the soft-lithographic micromolding in capillaries technique, we could fabricate exquisitely-ordered, one-dimensional co-assemblies to achieve the metrics to Φ of 0.32 and |g_lum| of 0.13. Finally, our spectroscopic research elucidates the underlying mechanism for the dual amplification, making a significant stride in the advancement of CPL-active emitters.     

A Fused [5]Helicene Dimer with a Figure-Eight Topology: Synthesis,Chiral Resolution,and Electronic Properties

Chiral shape-persistent molecular nanocarbons are promising chiroptical materials; their synthesis, however, remains a big challenge. Herein, we report the facile synthesis and chiral resolution of a double-stranded figure-eight carbon nanobelt 1 in which two [5]helicene units are fused together. Two synthetic routes were developed, and, in particular, a strategy involving Suzuki coupling-mediated macrocyclization followed by Bi(OTf)₃-catalyzed cyclization of vinyl ether turned out to be the most efficient. The structure of 1 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The isolated (P,P)- and (M,M)- enantiomers show persistent chiroptical properties with relatively large dissymmetric factors (|g_abs|=5.4×10⁻³ and |g_lum|=1.0×10⁻²), which can be explained by the effective electron delocalization along the fully conjugated belt and the unique D₂ symmetry. 1 exhibits local aromatic character with a dominant structure containing eight Clar's aromatic sextet rings.     

Doubly dendronized chiral polymers showing thermoresponsive properties

The dendronization of linear polymers by dendrons with different cores and peripheries provides a convenient strategy to fuse distinct properties in one matter. By combining thermoresponsive properties with chirality, a series of doubly dendronized polymers possessing interior chiral proline units and peripheral oligoethylene glycol (OEG)‐based dendrons are synthesized and characterized. The chirality of proline moieties are varied to check potential effects on thermoresponsiveness and chiroptical properties, and the terminal groups in the OEG periphery are changed to tune the hydrophilicity of the resulting polymers. The macromonomer route is applied to obtain polymers with well‐defined structures. Free radical polymerization in bulk results in polymers with surprisingly high molar masses. Their thermally induced phase transition processes are monitored by UV–vis spectroscopy, and chiroptical properties are monitored by optical rotation measurements and circular dichroism spectroscopy. These doubly dendronized polymers show characteristic thermoresponsive behavior, and their phase transition temperatures are dominated by the peripheral structures. Polymerization accompanies weak chiral amplification, but the chirality of the proline interior contributes significantly to the thermal stability of chiroptical properties of the resulting polymers. In vitro cytotoxicity measurements are carried out to check the biocompatibility of these thermoresponsive polymers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 5143–5152     

Chiroptical Amplification of Induced Circularly Polarized Luminescence in Nucleotide-Templated Supramolecular Polymer

Efficient circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) from purely organic molecules holds great promise for applications in displays, sensing, and bioimaging. However, achieving high dissymmetry values (g_lum) from organic chromophores remains a significant challenge. Herein, we present a bioinspired approach using adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-triggered supramolecular polymerization of a naphthalene diimide-derived monomer ( ANSG ) to induce CPL with a remarkable g_lum value of 1.1×10⁻². The ANSG molecules undergo a templated, chiral self-assembly through a cooperative growth mechanism in the presence of ATP, resulting in scrolled nanotubes with aggregation-induced enhanced emission (AIEE) and induced CPL. Furthermore, we demonstrate the concept of chiroptical amplification of induced CPL by efficiently amplifying asymmetry using a mixture of chiral ATP and achiral pyrophosphate. This innovative approach opens numerous opportunities in the emerging field of circularly polarized luminescence.     

Solvent‐Induced Helical Assembly and Reversible Chiroptical Switching of Chiral Cyclic‐Dipeptide‐Functionalized Naphthalenediimides

Understanding the roles of various parameters in orchestrating the preferential chiral molecular organization in supramolecular self‐assembly processes is of great significance in designing novel molecular functional systems. Cyclic dipeptide (CDP) chiral auxiliary‐functionalized naphthalenediimides (NCDPs 1 – 6 ) have been prepared and their chiral self‐assembly properties have been investigated. Detailed photophysical and circular dichroism (CD) studies have unveiled the crucial role of the solvent in the chiral aggregation of these NCDPs. NCDPs 1 – 3 form supramolecular helical assemblies and exhibit remarkable chiroptical switching behaviour (M‐ to P‐type) depending on the solvent composition of HFIP and DMSO. The strong influence of solvent composition on the supramolecular chirality of NCDPs has been further corroborated by concentration and solid‐state thin‐film CD studies. The chiroptical switching between supramolecular aggregates of opposite helicity (M and P) has been found to be reversible, and can be achieved through cycles of solvent removal and redissolution in solvent mixtures of specific composition. The control molecular systems (NCDPs 4 – 6 ), with an achiral or D ‐isomer second amino acid in the CDP auxiliary, did not show chiral aggregation properties. The substantial roles of hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions in the assembly of the NCDPs have been validated through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), photophysical, and computational studies. Quantum chemical calculations at the ab initio, semiempirical, and density functional theory levels have been performed on model systems to understand the stabilities of the right (P‐) and left (M‐) handed helical supramolecular assemblies and the nature of the intermolecular interactions. This study emphasizes the role of CDP chiral auxiliaries on the solvent‐induced helical assembly and reversible chiroptical switching of naphthalenediimides.     

Facile Synthesis and Chiral Resolution of Expanded Helicenes with up to 35 cata-Fused Benzene Rings**

Expanded helicenes are expected to show enhanced chiroptical properties as compared to the classical helicenes but the synthesis is very challenging. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of a series of expanded helicenes Hn (n=1–4) containing 11, 19, 27 and 35 cata-fused benzene rings through Suzuki coupling-based oligomerization followed by Bi(OTf)₃-mediated regioselective cyclization of vinyl ethers. Their structures were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Enantiopure H2 , H3 , and H4 can be isolated by chiral HPLC and they all exhibit strong chiroptical responses with high absorption dissymmetry factor (|g_abs|) values (0.020 for H2 , 0.021 for H3 , and 0.021–0.024 for H4 ).